Tufted mattress and method of making the same



Jan 2, .1934- J. F. GAIL l 1,9411,794

y TUFTED MATTRESS AND METHOD OF .AKING THE SAIE Filed Feb. '23, 1928 f Lf". (s. HLN: j

Patented Jan. 2, 193;

TUFTED MA'r'r'REss AND METHOD oF MAKnvG THE SAME 1 John F. Gail, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Simmons Company, New. York, N. Y., a corporation Delaware Application February 23, 1928. Serial No. 256,104l

11 Claims.

'Ihe present invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective construction of tufted mattress and to provide a novel method whereby the tufting of such mattress may be readily accomplished. The term mattress as herein used is intended to include filled casings or cushions designed for couches and in like situations. p

The invention consists in the features of novelty hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a View lin vertical section through a portion of a mattress, and associated therewith, the means whereby it will be tufted.

Figure 2 is a viewl similar to Figure 1 but with the parts in different position.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective viewof one of the tufting cords.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one ofthe tufts.

Figure 5 is a View in vertical section through a portion of the mattress after it has been tufted in keeping with my invention.

1 and 2 designatefrespectively the upper and lower sections of a mattress casing that may be stuffedl or iilled with any suitable material 3, such as hair,cotton, coiled springs, or like lling material now commonly employed for such purpose. In the drawing, the mattress is shown as resting upon a suitable support 4 that will be provided with openings 5 therein for the passage of a tufting needle and tufting cords; and above the Ymattress there will be arranged a presser plate 6 having an opening 7 therein, by which plate the lmattress will be compressed during the tufting operation. The tufting needle 8 may be of any usual or suitable form, having its free end provided with a slot 9 adapted to receive the tufting cord 10.

In the preferred form of the invention illustrated in'the drawing, the tufting cord 10 is made as a continuous loop of twine, the free ends of the cord being united, as clearly shown knot, that can be conveniently made by simple f mechanism designed for such purpose. The knot 11 uniting the free ends vof the looped cord 10 will be so arranged that when the tufting cord A 50 has been passed through the mattress, the knot in Fig. 3, by a'weavers knot 11, or similar fast cured a tuft 12;l and the tufting cord is then engaged by the eye 9 of the needle 8 that has been passed through the mattress, so that as the needle recedes, the cord will be drawn through the lower wall 2, the stuffing 3, and thenpper Wall 1 of the mattress, that will be compressed by the the presser plate 6, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper end of the tufting cord will then have securely tied to it a tuft,12, after which the pressure on the plate 6 will be relieved and the 65 resiliency of the mattress stuiiing will cause the tufts l2 to firmly engage the outer faces of the upper and lower walls 1 and 2 of the mattress casing, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention,

the tufts 12 are united to the ends of the tufting c'orcl by reversing the ends of the cord to form n`oses or slip-knots to receive the tufts 12. These nooses or slip-knots may be conveniently made by reversing the looped portions or ends 10 of the cords and by placing the parallel strands 10b 4in such looped portions or /ends -10,l thus forming open nooses 10 to receive the tufts 12. When the tufting cords are thus formed with nooses or slip-knots to engage the tuft 12, the resiliency of the mattress stulng will serve to constantly tighten the nooses about the tufts 12 and guard against all danger of the tufts working loose or becoming displaced.

In order to prevent the lling material from catching in the slot of the needle while the latter is being retracted upwardly, the needle may be tted with any well known type of latch or gate device, which is actuated to shroud the hook before retracting the needle through the 'mattress.

Obviously, the tufts which are secured or tied to the ends of the tufting cords may be of any kind to suit the requirements of the mattress in which they are used. Tufts of soft, flexible, 95 fibrous material, and hard button-like tufts are examples of common forms. In the following claims, the word tufts is used in a broad sense (i describe any form of tuft, and not to describe any particular type of tuft.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tufted-mattress comprising a iilled'casing having a tufting cord passing therethrough provided at one of its ends witha knot having a n tuft tied therein. 100

2. A tufted mattress comprising a filled casing having a tufting cord passing therethrough, said cord being in the form of a continuous loop having one end located outside of the casing and provided with a knot and with a tuft tied in within the mattress casing.

3. A tufted mattress comprising a filled casing having a tufting cord passing therethrough, said cord being in the form of a loop provided at one of its ends with a noose and with a tuft engaged by said noose, said cord having knotted ends located within the mattress casing.

4'. A tufted mattress comprising a lled casing having tufting cords passing therethrough, said cords being in the form of continuous loops having reverted ends through which the strands of the cords are passed to form nooses, and tufts engaged by said nooses.

5. A tufted mattress comprising a iled casing having tufting cords passing therethrough, said cords being in the form of loops With knotted ends arranged Within the casing, said loops having their ends reverted to extend around the parallel strands of the tufting cords and form nooses, and tufts engaged by said nooses.

6. The method of tufting a mattress which consists in tying the ends of a cord together to form a loop, securing a tuft to said looped cord at a point spaced from said tied ends, drawing the looped cord through a lled mattress casing so as to position the tuft against one :face of the mattress and said tied ends within said casing,

and then securing a tuft to said looped cord oning a tuft in said noose, and then permitting said mattress to expand whereby said looped cord is drawn taut and said noose tightened around said tuft.

8. The method of tufting a mattress which con- `said knot, said cord having knotted ends located sists in compressing a part thereof, passing through said compressed part a tufting cord having a tuft secured to one end, forming a noose at the other end of said cord, positioning a tuft in said noose and then permitting the mattress to expand, thereby to draw said cord taut Whereby said noose is tightened around said tuft.

9. The method of tufting a mattress which consists in forming a tufting cord into a loop of predetermined length, forming a noose in one end of said looped cord, positioning a tuft in said noose, passing the free end ofthe looped cord through a compressed portion of the mattress body, forming a noose at the other end of said cord, positioning a tuft in said last mentioned noose, and then permitting the mattress to expand so as to cause the expansive force of the mattress to draw said looped cord taut within the mattress and incidently to thereby tighten said nooses around said tufts.

10. The method of tufting mattresses which consists in connectingv a tuft to one end of a tufting cord and providing a loop at the other end thereof, pulling the looped end of the cord through'a compressed portion of a mattress to cause said looped end to project from the mattress on the side opposite the side on which said tuft is then-disposed, connecting another tuft to said cord in said projecting looped end, and then permitting said compressed mattress portion to expand. l

l1. The method of tufting. mattresses which consists in connecting a tuft to one end of a tufting cord, pulling the other endof the cord through a compressed portion of a mattress to cause said other end to project from the mattress on the side opposite the side on which said tuft is then disposed, forming a slip noose in said .other end of the cord and engaging said noose with a tuft, and then permitting the matress to expand so as to tighten said noose.

JOHN F. GAIL. 

